I can't even begin to apologize for just leaving this story out to dry for so long. I've stated before that I struggle with this story so much, and I refuse to just abandon it because I have such high hopes and dreams for it. It's probably the fluffiest story that I have, and that clearly says a lot, so I'm very determined to see it through. Please, forgive me guys.

"Hermione…do not let Blaise drag you into something that will get you killed," he said.

"I can make my own decisions. Besides, you're jumping to conclusions. I've just been helping him with some homework," she said, walking past him.

Draco reached out, gently grabbing her bag strap and pulling her closer. Hermione gulped a he gazed down at her, his eyes bright and intense.

"He may not be considered one of the bad ones…but Blaise is still a selfish prick. Blaise looks out for Blaise."

Hermione said nothing.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he said, letting her go.

She broke eye contact, awkwardly looking away before racing down the aisle and out of the library.

A few days later, Hermione left Slughorn's office in a daze. With everything that had happened, she had completely forgotten about the Slug Club and her possible inclusion. As it turned out, Professor Slughorn did indeed have every intention of inviting her to the first dinner, but she had been 'ill'. However, she figured that she was too much of a good investment to pass up, and he'd made it his mission to make sure she was aware of the Christmas party that was a little over two months away. For the first time in what seemed like a while, she was somewhat…happy.

It was even noticeable to her friends as they trekked through the streets of Hogsmeade not even an hour later. Ginny and Harry were only about half a meter ahead of she and Ron. Hermione noted that a week ago, this would have been considered a double date. However, despite the fact that she and Ron were no longer together, she did not find it awkward at all.

"You look good," Ron told her.

She looked up in mild surprise before a small smile graced her lips.

"Uh…thanks," she said, mentally wondering if she unintentionally did something different with her hair.

"I mean…you look really well rested. I've been thinking for a while how tired you've looked lately, and you just look…brighter today or something. I don't know…," Ron trailed off with a shrug.

Hermione found herself letting out a soft chuckle, one laced with a hint of sadness that Ron didn't detect.

"Thanks. Actually, Professor Slughorn just told me about the Slug Club Christmas party. I was supposed to be invited to the first dinner, but I was…y'know, sick," she lamely finished.

Ron beamed, eyes brightening as he congratulated her.

"Harry was invited, you know. He and Ginny both, actually. I was kind of shocked when they told me that bloke Zabini was at the dinner too."

Hermione's eyebrows rose in surprise. Neither of them had mentioned anything about that to her. They had arrived at Honeydukes before Hermione could respond, and by the look in Ron's eyes, this conversation was being quickly forgotten. Harry found himself by her side a few minutes later, eyes apologetic.

"I'm sorry."

She jumped, startled by his sudden presence and close proximity. She involuntarily took two steps back, something that did not go unnoticed by Harry. Luckily, she was sure he'd written it off to their last interaction. The interaction that sparked the apology coming from his lips.

"I shouldn't have acted like that, it was out of line. I don't want you to be…wary of me, Mione…"

She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm just so…scared, you know? Any one of his followers could be anywhere or anyone and I just can't bring myself to trust any Slytherin at the moment. This whole thing with Zabini…," Harry trailed off.

"There is no thing, Harry. That's just it. You're turning literally nothing into some big ordeal," she lied.

"He asked about you at Slughorn's dinner."

Hermione blinked, taken back at this sudden outburst.

"Zabini…" he continued "…he told Slughorn he was surprised that you weren't invited. Slughorn told him about your sudden illness and how he intended for you to be there."

Hermione figured that Zabini had been plotting his little scheme for a while now, but she didn't realize just how long ago he'd thought about her specifically.

"Don't you see? It's like he's purposefully trying to get close to you or something. That doesn't strike you as worrisome?"

Everything Harry was saying was true. Blaise was purposefully seeking her out, but it was only because he was trying to save his mother and himself from Voldemort's clutches. She felt bad for lying, truly she did, but she wasn't going to out Blaise. Least of all to Harry. He wouldn't understand. So, she simply told him;

"I'm sure it's nothing."

She could see that this answer was beginning to infuriate him, so she continued.

"I'm not concerned. I have no reason to have anything against Zabini, Harry and being in Slytherin just isn't enough for me. You should trust my judgement…"

She stared him down until he sighed with a reluctant nod.

"You're right. I'm sorry," he apologized again.

Hermione swallowed, nodding.

"It's alright. Just…"

She turned to fully face him, eyes hard.

"Don't ever grab me like that again. Next time I won't be as forgiving," she sternly stated.

Harry nodded, eyes wide just as Ginny ran over, hands full of candy.

"Katie, you don't know what it could be…!"

These words faintly reached Hermione's ears, the rest of the conversation ahead of her unintelligible. Hermione trotted along the snow covered path, Ron prattling to Harry about something or another behind her. She was glad that she'd gone to Hogsmeade, relieved to finally feel that things were going somewhat back to normal. It felt good to take her mind off of Malfoy…both of them.

She let out a blissful sigh, slowing down and turning her head towards her companions. Ginny had hooked up with a friend from her own year a while back. Hermione sensed that things were still shaky between the younger Weasley and Harry. She raised her head towards the sky, eyes taking in the slow fall of the snow. As the icy droplets hit her skin, she found that she didn't regret coming out.

She was just about to comment on what a lovely time she'd had, when a blood-curdling scream reached her ears. They all paused on the spot, looking up in horror at the sight of Katie Bell's prone figure on the ground.

"I warned her! I warned her not to touch it," her friend cried, who Hermione recalled to be named Leanne.

The three of them were next to Leanne in a rush, watching as Katie's body was dragged from side to side, then…

At once, Katie rose into the air... gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. Yet there was something wrong, something eerie about it...

Her hair was whipped by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression...

Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream. Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed...

Katie's screams of anguish sounded scarily familiar, and Hermione flinched, taking a step back.

Hermione watched in a mix of horror and confusion as the girl suddenly fell to the ground, body hitting it with an alarming sound.

"Don't get any closer…"

A familiar voice sternly said before anyone could take a step, and Hermione turned to see Hagrid coming towards them, eyes troubled.

"Get back, all of you."

They all were more than happy to move out of his way, allowing the tall half giant to come through. Hagrid picked the young girl up and Hermione found herself following Harry's movements as he approached the piece of jewelry on the ground. Hagrid's voice rang out, stopping him in his tracks:

"Do not touch that…"

"What do you think?"

Professor McGonagall looked at Snape with a shaky expression. There was panic in her eyes.

"I think…Miss Bell is lucky to be alive," he drawled, eyes fixated on the necklace that caused all of this.

"She was cursed, wasn't she? I know Katie. Off the Quidditch pitch she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was bringing that to someone, she wasn't doing it knowingly," Harry spoke up, defending his teammate, hinting at something sinister.

Snape eyed Harry levelly.

"Yes. She was cursed," McGonagall confirmed.

"It was Malfoy."

Hermione's eyes widened as her head whipped around to fully face him. He had to be joking, but…Harry's face was anything but humorous. He was absolutely serious.

"That's a very serious accusation, Potter," McGonagall breathed.

Hermione agreed.

"Indeed. Your evidence? "

Snape looked down his nose at Harry, eyes hard as he regarded him.

"I... just... know," Harry lamely defended.

"You... just... know. Once again you astonish with your gifts, Potter, gifts mere mortals could only dream of possessing. How grand it must be to be the Chosen One," the dark haired professor mocked.

"I suggest you return to your dormitory. All of you," McGonagall dismissed.

Once they were in the corridor, Hermione's wide eyes found Harry's, and she shook her head.

"I'm right. I know it," he said, teeth clenched.

"Harry you can't just… This is serious. Katie could have died."

"Yeah, mate. Malfoy is as spineless as they come," Ron agreed.

Harry shook his head at the both of them.

"You'll see…," he promised, walking away, leaving Hermione with troubling thoughts.

Hermione knocked on his door a second time, heart pounding.

"It's me…" she half whispered "…please, open up. It's urgent."

Her plea was met with silence, and Hermione wondered if he was gone or simply ignoring her.

"He's not here."

Hermione jumped, head turning to face the voice. She recognized him as the boy from the train, the one to tell McGonagall that Draco was sick that first day when he wasn't. He was only about an inch shorter than Malfoy so he too stood over her. His jet black hair was short, pushed away from his face, one stand hanging above his brow in a 50s sort of way. His skin had a natural tan to it, making his dark blue eyes stand out as he gazed down at her.

"Nott," he said, sticking his hand out.

Hermione regarded the appendage before raising her eyes to meet his with a strained smile.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

He dropped his arm as he answered.

"No idea. He's not here much, anyway, but you can always wait for him. I don't think he'd mind."

He gestured to Draco's door. Hermione warily eyed it, not sure if she agreed with Nott. Their last conversation didn't exactly make her think she was welcome in his room when he wasn't there.

"It's your best chance of catching him. He can be a slippery one…"

She decided to take his advice, slipping inside with a 'thanks' thrown Nott's way just before shutting the door. She looked around the dark room with interest, not having paid it much attention the last time she was there. Everything was black, with small touches of green here and there for contrast. His bed was big, something she did take note of last time, and she sat on the edge of it.

Harry's outburst was…insane. Draco being involved with Voldemort somehow? That she could believe, especially after the things she'd witnessed herself. After all, Draco himself told her that he'd killed before, but it was more than that. Draco was clearly struggling with something, something that was eating away at him. Blaise had hinted at Draco already being too far gone to save.

Perhaps that was why Harry's accusation was so disturbing to hear. Perhaps that was why she was there… Because something inside of her was afraid that he did do it. She closed her eyes, fingers digging into the duvet, stomach dropping.

Katie could have died, and Hermione didn't believe Draco to be evil. She didn't want to believe that he would intentionally put a classmate's life in danger like that. She brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them as she waited.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, but at some point she had nodded off. She was awoken by the sound of his room door closing, and she lifted her head to come face to face with him. He looked completely unsurprised, and Hermione wondered if his friend had told him. She couldn't hold his gaze for long, his eyes all too familiar, and she looked away just as he spoke.

"Why are you here?"

The way the question came out, it almost seemed like he knew why she was there. She hoped it was just her imagination…

"Katie Bell is in the infirmary," she quietly stated.

He did not break his gaze, eyes narrowing.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Harry thinks you did it," she honestly replied.

He smirked without humor.

"…so it must be true then, right?"

"Draco, I know that we're not friends. We've both made that abundantly clear, but…we're something, and I was hoping that something would allow us to be honest with each other," she said, standing.

Draco's jaw clenched, hand balling into a fist.

"I know that you're dealing with something, I've seen it with my own eyes. You've told me that you've hurt people, killed people… Did you hurt Katie?"

He said nothing, and Hermione felt nauseous.

"Did you do it-?"

"Get out," he hissed.

Hermione felt her throat thicken, eyes widening as a chill brushed through her.

"Did you give her the necklace?"

Draco stepped towards her, eyes hard, anger swirling there as his top lip curled over his teeth. He looked so much like his father, too much, and Hermione stumbled back. Draco's eyes widened a fraction, catching himself as he took a deep breath.

"You come into my room unannounced and have the audacity to question me about things that don't even concern you? Get out," he thundered, nostrils flared.

Hermione was letting out shallow breaths, eyes glassy.

"Why can't you just answer the question?" she whispered.

"Why are you trying to ruin this? We don't talk about my life, remember? That was the rule. You don't ask me about anything," he screamed.

Hermione swallowed, gazing at him as they stood there in a stalemate. She looked into his eyes, and was shocked to find fear. It was there, hidden beneath the anger, and Hermione moved on autopilot.

"What the hell are you- No!"

Hermione had grabbed his sleeve, and Draco reacted on instinct. Her back hit the edge of the bed, and she slid to the floor, eyes wide. It was too late. She had ripped the material just enough, and there it was; a dark, inky skull on the inside of his forearm.

She inhaled, a shaky sound as her eyes met his. He clenched his jaw, reaching out to cover it before opting to just hold his arm behind his back instead. He held her gaze, daring her to make her next move now that the truth was out. She stood on shaky legs, mind and body numb. She didn't know what to think, didn't know how to associate the boy who'd helped her so much with the Death Eater standing in front of her.

Draco closed his eyes as she ran for the door, a lump in her throat as it slammed behind her.

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